Lota the
elephant has endured a miserable life in captivity for nearly fifty years, and
itís time for her to be given sanctuary. Lota, who was born in the wild, was
captured in 1954. In 1990, the Hawthorn Corporation got Lota from the Milwaukee
Zoo when it no longer wanted her. The Hawthorne Corporation rents captive tigers
and elephants to circuses and other animal shows. Since being in Hawthorn's
care, Lota has been performing circus tricks and subjected to a life on the road
that has apparently adversely affected her health. This past April the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) filed charges against Hawthorn for numerous
violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including a failure to provide veterinary
care for Lota. The USDA has also found evidence that Lota has suffered from
tuberculosis and weight loss so severe that her spine and hip bones are
protruding. WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please urge the USDA to aggressively prosecute Hawthorn Corporation for
violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Also ask them to confiscate Lota and have
her transferred to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, which has offered to
accept her. There Lota will be able to live free of shackles and chains, eat a
proper diet, and enjoy elephant companions.